Information management apparatus, information processing apparatus, and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

An information management apparatus comprises a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses having learning functions, and a control unit configured to control the communication with the plurality of external apparatuses performed by the communication unit. The control unit, if supervisory data generated when a predetermined external apparatus executes a learning function is received from the predetermined external apparatus via the communication unit, selects, from among the plurality of external apparatuses, an external apparatus, other than the predetermined external apparatus, with which the supervisory data is to be shared, and performs control so that the supervisory data is transmitted to the selected external apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2019-104794, filed Jun. 4, 2019 which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to techniques for sharing supervisory dataamong apparatuses having learning functions.

Description of the Related Art

Recent years has seen active development in artificial intelligence (AI)techniques, primarily machine learning. Techniques for automaticallyrecognizing objects (subjects) included in captured images by applyingsuch a learning function to cameras are also being developed.

In order to increase learning accuracy, a large number of images(supervisory images) accompanied by correct answer labels indicatingwhat the objects are need to be prepared. Herein, a pair consisting of acorrect answer label and a supervisory image is referred to assupervisory data.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-142739 discloses a technique in whicha sufficient amount of supervisory data is collected and accumulated ina common storage apparatus, and the collected supervisory data isdisclosed to other apparatuses according to a disclosure level.

If a learning function is applied to a camera, an automatic recognitionfunction matching user preferences is required. This means that therequired learning model and supervisory data differ depending on thecamera. However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-142739 neitherdiscloses a method for selecting desired supervisory data nor a methodfor selecting cameras with which supervisory data is to be shared. Thus,additional work, such as selecting desired supervisory data for eachcamera and selecting cameras with which supervisory data is to beshared, is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in consideration of theaforementioned problems, and realizes techniques for enabling theselection of supervisory data and the selection of sharing destinationsto be executed automatically.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides an information management apparatus comprising at least oneprocessor or circuit configured to perform operations of the followingunits: a communication unit configured to communicate with a pluralityof external apparatuses having learning functions; and a control unitconfigured to control the communication with the plurality of externalapparatuses performed by the communication unit, wherein the controlunit, if supervisory data generated when a predetermined externalapparatus executes a learning function is received from thepredetermined external apparatus via the communication unit, selects,from among the plurality of external apparatuses, an external apparatus,other than the predetermined external apparatus, with which thesupervisory data is to be shared, and performs control so that thesupervisory data is transmitted to the selected external apparatus.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides an information processing apparatus having a learning function,comprising: at least one processor or circuit configured to performoperations of the following units: a communication unit configured tocommunicate with an external apparatus that manages supervisory datagenerated when the learning function is executed; and a control unitconfigured to transmit supervisory data generated when the learningfunction is executed to the external apparatus via the communicationunit.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides an information processing apparatus having a learning function,comprising at least one processor or circuit configured to performoperations of the following units: a communication unit configured tocommunicate with an external apparatus having a learning function; and acontrol unit configured to control the communication with the externalapparatus performed via the communication unit, wherein the control unitselects, from among a plurality of external apparatuses, an externalapparatus with which supervisory data generated when the informationprocessing apparatus executes the learning function is to be shared, andperforms control so that the supervisory data is transmitted to theselected external apparatus via the communication unit.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a method of controlling an information management apparatusthat includes a communication unit configured to communicate with aplurality of external apparatuses having learning functions and thatcontrols the communication with the plurality of external apparatusesperformed by the communication unit, the method comprising: ifsupervisory data generated when a predetermined external apparatusexecutes a learning function is received from the predetermined externalapparatus via the communication unit, selecting, from among theplurality of external apparatuses, an external apparatus, other than thepredetermined external apparatus, with which the supervisory data is tobe shared; and transmitting the supervisory data to the selectedexternal apparatus.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a method of controlling an information processing apparatushaving a learning function, comprising: communicating with an externalapparatus that manages supervisory data generated when the learningfunction is executed; and transmitting supervisory data generated whenthe learning function is executed to the external apparatus.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a method of controlling an information processing apparatushaving a learning function, a communication unit configured tocommunicate with an external apparatus having a learning function, and acontrol unit configured to control the communication with the externalapparatus performed via the communication unit, the method comprising:selecting, from among a plurality of external apparatuses, an externalapparatus with which supervisory data generated when the informationprocessing apparatus executes the learning function is to be shared; andtransmitting the supervisory data to the selected external apparatus viathe communication unit.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing aprogram for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling aninformation management apparatus that includes a communication unitconfigured to communicate with a plurality of external apparatuseshaving learning functions and that controls the communication with theplurality of external apparatuses performed by the communication unit,the method comprising: if supervisory data generated when apredetermined external apparatus executes a learning function isreceived from the predetermined external apparatus via the communicationunit, selecting, from among the plurality of external apparatuses, anexternal apparatus, other than the predetermined external apparatus,with which the supervisory data is to be shared; and transmitting thesupervisory data to the selected external apparatus.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing aprogram for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling aninformation processing apparatus having a learning function, comprising:communicating with an external apparatus that manages supervisory datagenerated when the learning function is executed; and transmittingsupervisory data generated when the learning function is executed to theexternal apparatus.

In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present inventionprovides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing aprogram for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling aninformation processing apparatus having a learning function, acommunication unit configured to communicate with an external apparatushaving a learning function, and a control unit configured to control thecommunication with the external apparatus performed via thecommunication unit, the method comprising: selecting, from among aplurality of external apparatuses, an external apparatus with whichsupervisory data generated when the information processing apparatusexecutes the learning function is to be shared; and transmitting thesupervisory data to the selected external apparatus via thecommunication unit.

According to the present invention, the selection of supervisory dataand the selection of sharing destinations can be executed automatically.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram according to the firstembodiment.

FIGS. 2A to 2E are diagrams illustrating examples of management tablesaccording to the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofcameras according to the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofa management server according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of learningprocessing in the system according to the first embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating examples of display screens ofthe cameras according to the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a diagram describing image learning processing using a neuralnetwork according to the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of processingfor updating learning subjects in the system according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a system configuration diagram according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of learningprocessing in the system according to the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intendedto limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features aredescribed in the embodiments, but limitation is not made an inventionthat requires all such features, and multiple such features may becombined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the samereference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, andredundant description thereof is omitted.

First Embodiment

The first embodiment will be described in the following.

In the following, an example of a system in which a management serverand digital cameras, acting as an information management apparatus andinformation processing apparatuses, according to the present embodiment,are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other willbe described. Note that the information processing apparatuses accordingto the present embodiment are not limited to digital cameras, andapplication to other apparatuses having a camera function, such asmobile phones and smartphones, which are a type of mobile phone,tablets, personal computers (PCs), and personal digital assistants(PDAs), is also possible.

System Configuration

First, a system configuration according to the present embodiment willbe described with reference to FIG. 1.

The system according to the present embodiment includes a managementserver 100 and cameras 101 to 105. The cameras 101 to 105 (cameras A toE) are each capable of mutually communicating with the management server100. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the management server100 is installed on the Internet and the cameras 101 to 105 have acommunication function capable of connecting to a network such as theInternet. However, the cameras 101 to 105 do not necessarily need tohave a built-in communication function, and may, for example, beconfigured so as to have a wireless LAN communication function and tocommunicate with the management server 100 via a device, such as asmartphone, that has a tethering function.

The cameras 101 to 105 each have a unique learning model, and have alearning function for recognizing subjects using captured images andsupervisory data. A user of a camera can register desired subjects(images including the subjects) to the learning model of the camera aslearning targets. Accordingly, for example, the camera can automaticallyfocus on subjects that the user likes during shooting, and capturedimages including subjects that the user likes can be selectively andautomatically classified and stored to specific folders after shooting.Since different users like different subjects, the content of learning,i.e., the learning model, differs between cameras possessed byindividual users. For the learning of images, a technique called aconvolutional neural network (CNN), which is a known technique in thefield of machine learning, is used. The details of the learningprocessing will be described later in FIG. 7.

The cameras 101 to 105 form groups with cameras that have commonlearning-target subjects. Information regarding how the groups areformed is managed by the management server 100.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of the information indicating how groupsare formed (referred to hereinafter as a “group management table”),which is managed by the management server 100. As illustrated in FIG.2A, group X is formed by cameras A, B, and C (cameras 101, 102, and103), and learning subject labels “KEN” and “LISA” are common to thegroup. On the other hand, group Y is formed by cameras A, D, and E(cameras 101, 104, and 105), and a learning subject label “KINGFISHER”is common to the group. A learning subject label is a piece ofinformation for uniquely indicating a learning-target subject image. Forexample, the group X is a group formed by relatives of the user ofcamera A (referred to hereinafter as a “user A”; the users of othercameras will also be referred to using the same alphabetical charactersas those of the corresponding cameras), and user A, user B, and user Care the father, mother, and grandfather of “KEN” and “LISA”,respectively. “KEN” and “LISA” are labels indicating the learning-targetsubject images common to group X. On the other hand, group Y, forexample, is a group formed by a group of people having the hobby ofshooting pictures of wild birds, and user A, user D, and user E aremembers of a hobby group. “KINGFISHER” is a label indicating thelearning-target subject image common to group Y.

FIG. 2B illustrates an example of information regarding the dataspecifications of supervisory images supported by the learning models ofthe cameras (referred to hereinafter as a “supervisory image dataspecification management table”), which is managed by the managementserver 100. The data specifications of supervisory images includespecifications regarding resolution and data format. As illustrated inFIG. 2B, the data specifications of supervisory images that can be usedfor learning differ between the learning models of the cameras.

The management server 100 has a unique learning model, and has afunction of performing clustering on supervisory image data transmittedfrom the cameras 101 to 105. Clustering is also called unsupervisedlearning, and is processing in which feature points of images areextracted, and the images are classified into groups (clusters) ofsimilar images based on a predetermined criterion. The management server100 has a function of automatically updating learning subject labelscommon to a group by means of clustering. The details of the automaticupdate processing will be described later in FIG. 8.

Camera Configuration

Next, the configuration and functions of the cameras 101 to 105 in thesystem according to the first embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 3.

A control circuit 300 controls the entire camera by executing controlprograms stored in a later-described non-volatile memory 301. Thecontrol circuit 300 includes one or more processors such as CPUs andMPUs.

The non-volatile memory 301 is a read only memory (ROM) that storesparameters and various control programs that are executed by the CPU(s)of the control circuit 300.

A work memory 302 is a random access memory (RAM) that temporarilystores data and programs that are necessary for various types ofprocessing performed by the CPU(s) of the control circuit 300. Note thata plurality of pieces of hardware may control the entire apparatus byeach handling a portion of the processing, instead of the controlcircuit 300 controlling the entire apparatus.

A storage medium interface (I/F) 303 controls access to alater-described storage medium 304. In accordance with control by thecontrol circuit 300, the storage medium I/F 303 executes data transferprocessing between the work memory 302 and the storage medium 304.

For example, the storage medium 304 is a hard disk or a memory cardbuilt into the camera, or a hard disk, a memory card, a USB flashmemory, a DVD, a Blu-ray Disc, or the like that is detachable from thecamera.

An operation member 305 accepts user operations and notifies the controlcircuit 300 of the input information. The operation member 305 is aninput device such as a touch panel, a button switch, or a cross key.

A display device 306 displays the operation state of the camera, images,etc. The display device 306 is constituted by an LCD, an LED, etc.Furthermore, the display device 306 may have a function of a speaker,etc., capable of outputting audio.

A communication circuit 307 is an interface that connects to externalapparatuses, such as the management server 100 and other cameras, andconnects to external networks, such as the Internet. In the presentembodiment, the communication circuit 307 connects to the managementserver 100 and other cameras, and transmits/receives captured imagedata, learning notifications (supervisory data), etc., to/from themanagement server 100.

An image capturing unit 308 includes an optical lens, a CMOS imagesensor, a digital image processing circuit, etc., and generates imagedata by converting analog signals input via the optical lens intodigital data. Image data generated by the image capturing unit 308 isconverted into a predetermined format, and is stored in the storagemedium 304 as an image file.

Note that the hardware configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 is oneexample, and the cameras 101 to 105 according to the present embodimentmay have hardware configurations other than that illustrated in FIG. 3.

An internal bus 309 connects the parts 300 to 303 and 305 to 308 of thecamera so as to be capable of exchanging data.

Management Server Configuration

Next, the configuration and functions of the management server 100 inthe system according to the first embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 4.

A control circuit 400 controls the entire server by executing controlprograms stored in a later-described non-volatile memory 401. Thecontrol circuit 400 includes one or more processors such as CPUs andMPUs.

The non-volatile memory 401 is a read only memory (ROM) that storesparameters and various control programs that are executed by the CPU(s)of the control circuit 400.

A work memory 402 is a random access memory (RAM) that temporarilystores data and programs that are necessary for various types ofprocessing performed by the CPU(s) of the control circuit 400. Note thata plurality of pieces of hardware may control the entire apparatus byeach handling a portion of the processing, instead of the controlcircuit 400 controlling the entire apparatus.

A storage medium interface (I/F) 403 controls access to alater-described storage medium 404. In accordance with control by thecontrol circuit 400, the storage medium I/F 403 executes data transferprocessing between the work memory 402 and the storage medium 404. Forexample, the storage medium 404 is a hard disk including alarge-capacity storage area, etc.

An operation member 405 accepts user operations and notifies the controlcircuit 400 of the input information. The operation member 405 is aninput device such as a button switch, a keyboard, or a mouse.

A display device 406 displays the operation state of the server, etc.The display device 406 is constituted by an LCD, etc. Furthermore, thedisplay device 406 may have a function of a speaker, etc., capable ofoutputting audio.

A communication circuit 407 is an interface that connects to externalapparatuses, such as the cameras 101 to 105, and connects to externalnetworks, such as the Internet. In the present embodiment, thecommunication circuit 407 connects to the cameras 101 to 105, andtransmits/receives captured image data, learning notifications(supervisory data), etc., to/from the cameras 101 to 105.

An internal bus 409 connects the parts 400 to 403 and 405 to 407 of themanagement server 100 so as to be capable of exchanging data.

Sequence of Learning Processing

Next, an example of a sequence of processing performed by the managementserver 100 and the cameras A 101 to C 103, in a case in which thecameras A 101 to C 103, among the cameras A 101 to E 105 constitutingthe system according to the first embodiment, perform image learning,will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

The following describes a sequence of processing that is performed if agiven camera executes learning of a subject in the system configurationillustrated in FIG. 1 and that is for causing other cameras desiring toexecute learning of the same subject (i.e., other cameras having thesame learning subject label) to execute learning of the same level.

For example, FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a sequence of processingin which, in a case in which the camera A 101 executes learning of thesubject “KEN”, the camera A 101 transmits supervisory image datagenerated in the learning of the subject “KEN” to the management server100 and the same is transmitted from the management server 100 to thecamera B 102 and the camera C 103 so that learning of the same level canbe executed by the camera B 102 and the camera C 103.

In step S501, the camera A 101 executes learning of “KEN” (firstlearning mode). The learning processing is divided into two parts, onebeing processing for generating supervisory image data and the otherbeing processing for executing learning using the supervisory imagedata.

First, the processing for generating supervisory data will be described.The user A causes the display device 306 of the camera A 101 to displaya learning-target image file, i.e., an image file in which “KEN”appears, specifies a region to be registered as a supervisory image viathe operation member 305, and inputs “KEN” with respect to the specifiedregion as learning subject label information. FIG. 6A illustrates anexample of an operation screen 600 of the camera A 101 when asupervisory image is registered. The operation screen 600 shows adisplay screen of the display device 306 of the camera A 101. Aspecified region 601 indicates the region to be registered as asupervisory image, which has been specified by the user. Labelinformation 602 indicates the learning subject label information inputby the user. In such a manner, as a result of the user performing anoperation of specifying a registration region and an operation ofinputting label information on the operation screen 600, supervisorydata constituted by a pair of a supervisory image and learning subjectlabel information is generated.

Next, the processing for executing learning using the supervisory datawill be described. As described earlier, the learning processing isexecuted using a CNN. FIG. 7 is a diagram describing image learningprocessing using a CNN.

An image 701 is an image corresponding to the supervisory image datagenerated by the operation described in FIG. 6A. In the above-describedprocessing for generating supervisory data, the supervisory image data701 is generated in conformity with the supervisory image dataspecifications supported by the learning model of the camera A 101,which are illustrated in FIG. 2B. Thus, in the present embodiment, theresolution of the supervisory image data 701 is 300×300 and the dataformat of the supervisory image data 701 is JPEG.

In FIG. 7, a CNN 700 has functional parts 702 to 704. The functionalpart 702 is a processing layer that repetitively performs convolutionprocessing and pooling processing on the input supervisory image data701. The convolution processing is processing for condensing featurepoints from the original image by using a filter. The pooling processingis processing for reducing image size while retaining informationregarding important feature points. The functional part 703 isconstituted by feature maps that are obtained as a result of theconvolution processing and the pooling processing being repeated. Thefunctional part 704 is a fully connected layer configured by multiplelayers. Information regarding each pixel of the feature maps 703 isinput as input data, and the information is output to all of the nodesof the next layer after multiplication by predetermined weightingfactors has been carried out. The final output result is obtained byrepeating this processing via a plurality of hidden middle layers. Inthe present embodiment, the data output as the final result is theprobability of the subject image being “KEN”. In feedback 705, feedback705 is executed so that the probability of the subject image being“KEN”, which is the result obtained from the fully connected layer 704,increases. The feedback 705 is the processing that is the core of thelearning, and is executed repetitively every time a final result isoutput. By executing the feedback 705, the content of the filter used inthe convolution processing in the processing layer 702, the weightingfactors in the fully connected layer 704, etc., are adjusted.

In step S502, the camera A 101 transmits, to the management server 100,a learning notification indicating that learning has been executed. Thelearning notification includes the supervisory data used for thelearning. The supervisory data indicates the pair of the supervisoryimage data 701 described in FIG. 7 and the learning subject labelinformation “KEN”.

In step S503, the management server 100 receives the learningnotification transmitted by the camera A 101, and acquires thesupervisory data included in the learning notification.

In step S504, the management server 100 executes processing forselecting cameras with which the supervisory data included in thelearning notification received in step S503 is to be shared. Themanagement server 100 refers to the group management table illustratedin FIG. 2A, and determines whether or not there is a group for which thelearning subject label information included in the acquired supervisorydata is a learning target common to the group, among the groups to whichthe camera that is the transmission source of the supervisory databelongs. If there is a group satisfying the condition, the managementserver 100 selects cameras belonging to the group, excluding thetransmission source camera, as sharing destination cameras. Thus,depending upon conditions, there are also cases in which no sharingdestination camera is selected, and in such cases, the supervisory datais not shared and processing is terminated. In the current step, thecamera A 101 belongs to group X and group Y, and the learning subjectlabel information “KEN” is common to group X among the groups. Thus, thecamera B 102 and the camera C 103 are selected as sharing destinationcameras.

In step S505, the management server 100 processes the supervisory datato be shared so that the supervisory data is converted into formats thatcan be input to the learning models of the cameras selected in stepS504. The management server 100 refers to the supervisory image dataspecification management table illustrated in FIG. 2B, and processes thesupervisory data so that the resolution is 200×200 and the data formatis JPEG if the sharing destination is the camera B 102 and so that theresolution is 300×300 and the data format is PNG if the sharingdestination is the camera C 103.

In step S506, the management server 100 transmits, to the camera B 102,a learning request that is a request to execute learning. The learningrequest includes the supervisory data processed for transmission to thecamera B 102 in step S505.

In step S507, the camera B 102 receives the learning request transmittedfrom the management server 100, and acquires the supervisory dataincluded in the learning request.

In step S508, the camera B 102, in response to the learning requestreceived from the management server 100, executes learning using thesupervisory data acquired in step S507 (second learning mode). Learningof the same level as that executed by the camera A 101 in step S501 canbe executed by the camera B 102.

In step S509, the management server 100 transmits, to the camera C 103,a learning request that is a request to execute learning. The learningrequest includes the supervisory data processed for transmission to thecamera C 103 in step S505.

In step S510, the camera C 103 receives the learning request transmittedfrom the management server 100, and acquires the supervisory dataincluded in the learning request.

In step S511, the camera C 103, in response to the learning requestreceived from the management server 100, executes learning using thesupervisory data acquired in step S510 (second learning mode). Learningof the same level as that executed by the camera A 101 in step S501 canbe executed by the camera C 103.

Note that the processing from step S509 to step S511 need not beexecuted after the processing from step S506 to step S508, and may beexecuted concurrently and in parallel with the processing from step S506to step S508.

Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted such that, in steps S508 andS511, confirmation is made with the user as to whether or not the userwants learning to be executed, before executing the learning in thesecond learning mode in response to the learning request received fromthe management server 100 in steps S507 and S510, and the learning isexecuted only when user permission is granted. FIG. 6B illustrates anoperation screen of the camera B 102, camera C 103 in which a user canselect whether or not to learning is to be executed in the secondlearning mode in response to a learning request from the managementserver 100. An operation screen 603 is displayed on the display device306 of the camera B 102, camera C 103. An image 604 indicates thesupervisory image data received from the management server 100. Buttons605 and 606 are displayed on the touch panel on the display screen 603.The button 605 is selected if the user wants learning to be executed,and the button 606 is selected if the user does not want learning to beexecuted. It suffices for the user to select the button 606 on theoperation screen 603 illustrated in FIG. 6B if the user does not wantlearning to be executed in the second learning mode in response to thelearning request from the management server 100. Accordingly, thelearning function in the second learning mode, which is executed inresponse to a learning request from the management server 100, can bedisabled.

Furthermore, while processing in which the camera A 101 transmitssupervisory data, and the camera B 102 and the camera C 103 receivesupervisory data is illustrated as an example in FIG. 5, the camera A101 can also receive supervisory data from other cameras. Similarly, thecamera B 102 and the camera C 103 can also provide supervisory data thatthe camera has used to perform learning to other cameras.

Sequence for Updating Learning Subjects

Next, a sequence of processing for automatically updating learningsubjects common to a group, which are managed in the group managementtable illustrated in FIG. 2A, will be described with reference to FIG.8.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a sequence of processing in which“PHEASANT” is newly added as a learning subject label common to group Yin a case in which all cameras belonging to group Y have executedlearning of the wild bird pheasant one hundred or more times.

In step S801, the camera A 101 executes learning of an image of apheasant. For example, the processing in step S801 is executed at atiming when the user A shoots an image of a pheasant. The details of thelearning processing are as described in step S501.

In step S802, the camera A 101 transmits, to the management server 100,a learning notification indicating that learning was executed. Thelearning notification includes the supervisory data used in thelearning. The supervisory data includes a pair of supervisory image dataincluding the image of a pheasant and learning subject label information“PHEASANT”.

In step S803, the management server 100 receives the learningnotification transmitted by the camera A 101, and acquires thesupervisory data included in the learning notification.

In step S804, the management server 100 executes clustering(unsupervised learning) of the supervisory image data received in stepS803, and updates the reception history of learning notifications on acluster basis. FIG. 2C illustrates an example of information formanaging the reception history of learning notifications from thecameras A to E (referred to hereinafter as a “learning notificationmanagement table”). As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the reception history oflearning notifications is managed for each cluster. The cluster ID“00004” is the identifier of the cluster that the supervisory image datahas been classified into as a result of the clustering in the currentstep. The indicator “PHEASANT” in the label column corresponds to thelearning subject label information “PHEASANT” of the supervisory imagedata subjected to clustering in the current step. As learningnotification counts, the number of times learning notificationsincluding supervisory image data corresponding to the cluster ID havebeen received is stored and updated for each camera. “125 times” in thecolumn for camera A 101 indicates that learning notifications includingsupervisory image data similar to “PHEASANT” have been received 125times by the camera A 101 so far, and indicates that the count has beenupdated from 124 times to 125 times as a result of the current step.

In steps S805 to S808, processing similar to that in steps S801 to S804is executed for camera D 104.

In steps S809 to S812, processing similar to that in steps S801 to S804is executed for camera E 105.

FIG. 2D illustrates an example of the learning notification managementtable updated in steps S808 and S812. In FIG. 2D, the learningnotification count of camera D 104 and the learning notification countof camera E 105 for cluster ID “00004” are each incremented by one andupdated when compared with FIG. 2C. This means that all camerasbelonging to group Y have executed learning of “PHEASANT” one hundredtimes or more.

In step S813, the management server 100 newly adds “PHEASANT” as alearning subject common to group Y. FIG. 2E illustrates an example ofthe group management table updated in step S813. As illustrated in FIG.2E, “PHEASANT” is added as a learning subject common to group Y.

According to the first embodiment, in the system constituted by thecameras 101 to 105 and the management server 100, if a given camera A101 executes learning of a subject, the management server 100 canautomatically select other cameras B 102, C 103 desiring to executelearning of the same subject and share the supervisory data used for thelearning. Thus, learning of the same level can be executed by thesharing destination cameras B 102, C 103.

Furthermore, as a result of the management server 100 automaticallyupdating learning subjects in accordance with the learning states of thecameras A 101 to E 105, the most suitable subjects can always beselected as learning targets even if the learning subject images ofindividual cameras change.

Second Embodiment

Next, the second embodiment will be described.

In the first embodiment, a system constituted by cameras and amanagement server was described. In contrast, a system that does notinclude a management server and is constituted only by cameras will bedescribed in the second embodiment. Note that in the following, anexplanation will be provided focusing on the differences from the firstembodiment, and explanation of points similar to the first embodimentwill be omitted.

System Configuration

First, a system configuration according to the second embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 9.

The system according to the present embodiment is constituted by cameras101 to 105 (cameras A to E) being connected so as to be capable ofcommunicating with one another. In the present embodiment, it is assumedthat the cameras 101 to 105 have a function capable of communicatingwith one another via a network such as the Internet. However, thecameras 101 to 105 do not necessarily need to have a built-in Internetcommunication function, and may, for example, be configured so as tohave a wireless LAN communication function and to perform communicationbetween the cameras via a device, such as a smartphone, that has atethering function. Furthermore, while not illustrated in the drawings,a configuration may be adopted in which a relay server that performsrouting control of the communication between cameras is arranged on anetwork, and communication is performed via the relay server.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the cameras 101 to 105 each have aunique learning model, and have a function for executing learning ofimages using supervisory data. Furthermore, similarly to the firstembodiment, the cameras 101 to 105 form groups with cameras that havecommon learning-target subjects. In the present embodiment, the cameras101 to 105 each manage the group management table. The specification ofthe group management table is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2A inthe first embodiment. Furthermore, the supervisory image dataspecification management table is also similar to that illustrated inFIG. 2B in the first embodiment. In addition, the configuration andfunctions of the cameras according to the present embodiment are similarto those in the first embodiment.

Sequence of Learning Processing

Next, an example of a sequence of processing performed by the cameras A101 to C 103, in a case in which the cameras A 101 to C 103, among thecameras A 101 to E 105 constituting the system according to the secondembodiment, perform image learning, will be described with reference toFIG. 10.

The following describes a sequence of processing that is performed if agiven camera executes learning of a subject in the system configurationillustrated in FIG. 9 and that is for causing other cameras desiring toexecute learning of the same subject (i.e., other cameras having thesame learning subject label) to execute learning of the same level.

For example, FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a sequence of processingin which, in a case in which the camera A 101 performs learning of thesubject “KEN”, the camera A 101 transmits supervisory image datagenerated in the learning of the subject “KEN” to the camera B 102 andthe camera C 103 so that learning of the same level can be executed bythe camera B 102 and the camera C 103.

In step S1001, the camera A 101 executes learning of “KEN”. The detailsof the learning processing are as already described in step S501 in FIG.5.

In step S1002, the camera A 101 executes processing for selectingcameras with which the supervisory data used in step S1001 for thelearning is to be shared. In the processing for selecting sharingdestinations, the camera A 101 executes processing similar to that instep S504 in FIG. 5.

In step S1003, the camera A 101 processes the supervisory data to beshared so that the supervisory data is converted into formats that canbe input to the learning models of the cameras selected in step S1002.In the processing of the supervisory data, the camera A 101 executesprocessing similar to that in step S505 in FIG. 5.

In step S1004, the camera A 101 transmits, to the camera B 102, alearning request that is a request to execute learning. The learningrequest includes the supervisory data processed for transmission to thecamera B 102 in step S1003.

In step S1005, the camera B 102 receives the learning requesttransmitted from the camera A 101, and acquires the supervisory dataincluded in the learning request.

In step S1006, the camera B 102 executes learning using the supervisorydata acquired in step S1005. Learning of the same level as that executedby the camera A 101 in step S1001 can be executed by the camera B 102.

In step S1007, the camera A 101 transmits, to the camera C 103, alearning request that is a request to execute learning. The learningrequest includes the supervisory data processed for transmission to thecamera C 103 in step S1003.

In step S1008, the camera C 103 receives the learning requesttransmitted from the camera A 101, and acquires the supervisory dataincluded in the learning request.

In step S1009, the camera C 103 executes learning using the supervisorydata acquired in step S1008. Learning of the same level as that executedby the camera A 101 in step S1001 can be executed by the camera C 103.

Note that the processing from step S1007 to step S1009 need not beexecuted after the processing from step S1004 to step S1006, and may beexecuted concurrently and in parallel with the processing from stepS1004 to step S1006.

Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted such that, in steps S1006and S1009, confirmation is made with the user as to whether or not theuser wants learning to be executed, before executing learning inresponse to the learning request received from the camera A 101, and thelearning is executed only when user permission is granted, similarly tosteps S508 and S511 in FIG. 5.

Furthermore, while processing in which the camera A 101 transmitssupervisory data, and the camera B 102 and the camera C 103 receivesupervisory data is illustrated as an example in FIG. 10, the camera A101 can also receive supervisory data from other cameras. Similarly, thecamera B 102 and the camera C 103 can also provide supervisory data thatthe camera has used to perform learning to other cameras.

Furthermore, a configuration may be adopted such that each camera, inresponse to a learning request received from another camera, executesthe sequence for updating learning subjects described in FIG. 8 in thefirst embodiment.

According to the second embodiment, in the system constituted by thecameras 101 to 105, if a given camera A 101 executes learning of asubject, the camera A 101 can automatically select other cameras B 102and C 103 desiring to execute learning of the same subject and share thesupervisory data used for the learning. Thus, learning of the same levelcan be executed by the sharing destination cameras B 102 and C 103.

Note that, while an explanation is provided in the first and secondembodiments taking, as an example, a configuration in which the cameras101 to 105 have learning functions, there is no limitation to this. Aconfiguration may be adopted such that there are edge computers orservers corresponding to the cameras 101 to 105, and these edgecomputers or servers have learning functions. These edge computers orservers transmit, to the corresponding cameras 101 to 105, parametersfor subject recognition obtained by executing learning, and the cameras101 to 105 perform subject recognition using these parameters. In thiscase, the management server 100 selects edge computers or serverscorresponding to the cameras 101 to 105 rather than selecting thecameras 101 to 105.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information management apparatus comprising atleast one processor or circuit configured to perform operations of thefollowing units: a communication unit configured to communicate with aplurality of image capture apparatuses each of which has a learningfunction; and a control unit configured to control the communicationwith the plurality of image capture apparatuses performed by thecommunication unit, wherein the control unit, if supervisory datagenerated when a first image capture apparatus executed a learningfunction is received from the first image capture apparatus via thecommunication unit, selects, from among the plurality of image captureapparatuses, a second image capture apparatus, other than the firstpredetermined external image capture apparatus, with which thesupervisory data used for the learning function of the first imagecapture apparatus is to be shared, and performs control so that thesupervisory data used for the learning function of the first imagecapture apparatus is transmitted to the second image capture apparatus.2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the learning function isa function for recognizing a predetermined subject using a capturedimage and the supervisory data, and the supervisory data includessupervisory image data of the predetermined subject and labelinformation indicating the predetermined subject.
 3. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the control unit manages the plurality ofimage capture apparatuses so that apparatuses having a learning-targetsubject in common are managed as belonging to the same group, andselects an image capture apparatus belonging to the same group as thefirst image capture apparatus as an image capture apparatus with whichthe supervisory data used for the learning function of the first imagecapture apparatus is to be shared.
 4. The apparatus according to claim1, wherein the control unit has a table in which the number of times thesupervisory data is received is recorded for each of the plurality ofimage capture apparatuses, and newly adds, as a learning-target subjectcommon to a group to which the first capture apparatus belongs, asubject for which the number of times the supervisory data is receivedexceeds a predetermined reference, among label information of subjectsof the plurality of image capture apparatuses recorded in the table. 5.The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit processesthe supervisory data used for the learning function of the first imagecapture apparatus so that the supervisory data has a format that can beused in the second image capture apparatus.
 6. An image captureapparatus having a learning function, comprising: at least one processoror circuit configured to perform operations of the following units: acommunication unit configured to communicate with an informationmanagement apparatus that manages supervisory data generated when theimage capture apparatus executed the learning function; and a controlunit configured to transmit the supervisory data used for the learningfunction of the image capture apparatus and to be shared with otherimage capture apparatus having a learning function, to the informationmanagement apparatus via the communication unit.
 7. The apparatusaccording to claim 6, wherein the learning function is a function forrecognizing a predetermined subject using a captured image and thesupervisory data, and the supervisory data includes supervisory imagedata of the predetermined subject and label information indicating thepredetermined subject.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, whereinthe learning function includes a first learning mode for executinglearning using supervisory image data generated from a captured imageand a second learning mode for executing learning in response to alearning request from the information management apparatus using thesupervisory image data included in the supervisory data received fromthe information management apparatus.
 9. The apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the learning function is capable of disabling thesecond learning mode, and the control unit does not execute learning inthe second learning mode if the second learning mode is disabled.
 10. Animage capture apparatus having a learning function, comprising at leastone processor or circuit configured to perform operations of thefollowing units: a communication unit configured to communicate withother image capture apparatus having a learning function; and a controlunit configured to control the communication with the other imagecapture apparatus performed via the communication unit, wherein thecontrol unit selects, from among a plurality of image captureapparatuses, a second image capture apparatus with which supervisorydata generated when the image capture apparatus executed the learningfunction is to be shared, and performs control so that the supervisorydata used for the learning function of the image capture apparatus istransmitted to the second image capture apparatus via the communicationunit.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the learningfunction is a function for recognizing a predetermined subject using acaptured image and the supervisory data, and the supervisory dataincludes supervisory image data of the predetermined subject and labelinformation indicating the predetermined subject.
 12. The apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the control unit manages image captureapparatuses having a learning-target subject in common with the imagecapture apparatus as belonging to the same group, and selects an imagecapture apparatus belonging to the same group as the image captureapparatus as the second image capture apparatus with which thesupervisory data is to be shared.
 13. The apparatus according to claim10, wherein the control unit processes the supervisory data used for thelearning function of the image capture apparatus so that the supervisorydata has a format that can be used in the second image captureapparatus.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controlunit receives supervisory data generated when the other image captureapparatus executed the learning function from the other image captureapparatus via the communication unit, and the learning function includesa function for executing learning using supervisory image data generatedfrom a captured image and a function for executing learning usingsupervisory image data included in the supervisory data received fromthe other image capture apparatus.
 15. A method of controlling aninformation management apparatus that includes a communication unitconfigured to communicate with a plurality of image capture apparatuseseach of which has a learning function and that controls thecommunication with the plurality of image capture apparatuses performedby the communication unit, the method comprising: if supervisory datagenerated when a first image capture apparatus executed a learningfunction is received from the first image capture apparatus via thecommunication unit, selecting, from among the plurality of image captureapparatuses, a second image capture apparatus, other than the firstimage capture apparatus, with which the supervisory data used for thelearning function of the first image capture apparatus is to be shared;and transmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function ofthe first image capture apparatus to the second image capture apparatus.16. A method of controlling an image capture apparatus having a learningfunction, comprising: communicating with an information managementapparatus that manages supervisory data generated when the image captureapparatus executed the learning function; and transmitting thesupervisory data used for the learning function of the image captureapparatus and to be shared with other image capture apparatus having alearning function, to the information management apparatus.
 17. A methodof controlling an image capture apparatus having a learning function, acommunication unit configured to communicate with other image captureapparatus having a learning function, and a control unit configured tocontrol the communication with the other image capture apparatusperformed via the communication unit, the method comprising: selecting,from among a plurality of image capture apparatuses, a second imagecapture apparatus with which supervisory data generated when the imagecapture apparatus executed the learning function is to be shared; andtransmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of theimage capture apparatus to the second image capture apparatus via thecommunication unit.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method ofcontrolling an information management apparatus that includes acommunication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of imagecapture apparatuses each of which has a learning function and thatcontrols the communication with the plurality of image captureapparatuses performed by the communication unit, the method comprising:if supervisory data generated when a first image capture apparatusexecuted a learning function is received from the first image captureapparatus via the communication unit, selecting, from among theplurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image captureapparatus, other than the first image capture apparatus, with which thesupervisory data used for the learning function of the first imagecapture apparatus is to be shared; and transmitting the supervisory dataused for the learning function of the first image capture apparatus tothe second image capture apparatus.
 19. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing acomputer to execute a method of controlling an image capture apparatushaving a learning function, comprising: communicating with aninformation management apparatus that manages supervisory data generatedwhen the image capture apparatus executed the learning function; andtransmitting the supervisory data used for the learning function of theimage capture apparatus and to be shared with other image captureapparatus having a learning function, to the information managementapparatus.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storinga program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling animage capture apparatus having a learning function, a communication unitconfigured to communicate with other image capture apparatus having alearning function, and a control unit configured to control thecommunication with the other image capture apparatus performed via thecommunication unit, the method comprising: selecting, from among aplurality of image capture apparatuses, a second image capture apparatuswith which supervisory data generated when the image capture apparatusexecuted the learning function is to be shared; and transmitting thesupervisory data used for the learning function of the image captureapparatus to the second image capture apparatus via the communicationunit.